Ceramic Braces Require a Few Extra Care and Cleaning Considerations

Posted July 28, 2016.

If you’ve decided the time is right to get your son or daughter fitted for a set of braces, you might be interested in exploring your options. For some teens traditional metal, bracket and wire braces, can leave them feeling self-conscious. One alternative Dr. Dawn A. Wu suggests in a situation like this, is to install ceramic coated braces.

In all reality, these braces are nearly identical to traditional bracket and wire braces. The only notable difference is that a significant amount of the braces hardware has been coated with a porcelain-ceramic material. Since it can be shaded to match their natural tooth enamel, your son or daughter might find them less obtrusive.

With a few simple lifestyle changes and a diligent oral hygiene routine, your son or daughter will find it easy to maintain their new ceramic coated braces. Try to help them remember that if any part of their braces is bent, or broken it will likely increase the duration of time they need to wear the braces.

Brushing and flossing twice a day will remove the majority of residual food particles and plaque from between their teeth and braces. If they find it hard to clean some of the hard to reach places in and around their braces, you might want to provide them interdental brushes or a floss threader loaded with waxed dental floss.

They should also keep in mind that dark foods and beverages that could stain their teeth more significantly than the braces porcelain coating. They can still enjoy dark beverages, but it might be best to drink them through a straw.

Should their tooth enamel develop minor surface stains, you could try offering them some whitening toothpaste when they brush their teeth. Any stronger measures will require a consultation from Dr. Dawn A. Wu.

Chewing gum and eating sticky foods can easily get stuck in the wires and bands, bending hardware and potentially loosening brackets. The same threat is posed by eating crunchy foods, hard candy and chewing on things like pens, pencils and ice.

If you or your child have questions about ceramic braces, you can always call Dr. Dawn A. Wu’s offices in Richardson, Texas at (972) 231-9591 to set up a consultation session.